Obama considers military strike against Syria

A doctor inside Syria spoke exclusively to Ann Curry about treating the victims, who he said show symptoms of having been attacked by chemical weapons. Meanwhile, President Obama is considering a narrow range of military options. NBC’s Chuck Todd reports.

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>>>there's word tonight the pentagon is drawing up military options to respond to this week's atrocities in
syria
, as the
white house
is under increasing pressure to act. the horrible images of lifeless civilians killed by what the rebels say were
chemical weapons
. as the u.s. officials are trying to confirm the nature of the attack nbc news has spoken to one of the doctors on the ground treating the victims. he says the world is ignoring them. let's get to
chuck todd
. iraq, afghanistan, is america about to get involved in
syria
?

>> reporter: looks like in some form. the president seems to be on the verge of ordering some sort of military response in
syria
. the question is, what does that military option look like? right now the president's closest advisers are divided on the options that are in front of them. it is these heart-wrenching images out of
syria
, victims of brutal
chemical weapon
attack that accelerated the debate in washington.

>>we are gathering information on this event. what we have seen indicates this is clearly a big event of
grave concern
.

>> reporter: just how grave becoming more clear tonight.
ann curry
spoke with a doctor inside of
syria
treating some of the victims. fearing for his own life he would not go on camera.

>>died violently while sleeping and died hungry.

>>doctor, after this experience, what is your message to the
outside world
.

>>chemical weapons
is a shame on the face of humanity.

>>chemical weapons
is a shame on the face of humanit?

>>chemical weapons
is a shame on the face of humanity. i can't imagine that the
international community
cannot do anything except meeting and promising. is in the truth? is this real?

>> reporter: the president is considering a very narrow range of military options.
boots on the ground
or a no-fly zone, both are out of the question. what is on the table -- limited
air strikes
, most likely
cruise missiles
launched from navy destroyers targeting
military command
posts and while the u.s. is still gathering evidence, emotions are high.

>>quite powerful and clearly something that has been -- faked.

>>the president said repeatedly the use of
chemical weapons
by bashar al-assad would cross the
red line
. and it is the public pledge coupled with the horrific pictures that prompted senior officials to consider specific military responses even as the president preaches caution.

>>sometimes what we have seen is that folks
will call
for immediate action, jumping in to stuff that does not turn out well.

>> reporter: but demand to do something is growing.

>>when does the
united states
, with very little cost, stand up for these people?

>> reporter: one pentagon official told nbc's
jim miklaszewski
, if the president wants to send a message, we are good at sending messages. if he wants regime change, we are not able to do that easily. key presidential aides are split of how to respond. as the internal debate developed over month,
susan rice
and dennis mcdonough have urged aggressive action. dempsey expressed reluctant. secretary of state
john kerry
initially aggressive and softened until the latest pictures emerged and today is advocating an aggressive response. but nothing happens until there are two things that are determined. number one, the u.s. gets actual proof that assad used
chemical weapons
. they are trying to do that. second, they need to have a legal justification. lester, for instance, in libya, there was a u.n. resolution to enforce. here in
syria
, right now, there is nothing like that on the table.